National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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VETERAN SPOTLIGHT — JOE FAMIGLIETTI SPO is celebrating Veterans Day in the month of November to honor service members past and present for their hard work and dedication. We didn’t have to look too far to find a veteran to celebrate – SPO’s very own Joe Famiglietti served in the Navy in the 1980s as an electronics technician and reactor operator aboard the USS Honolulu, a Los Angeles class submarine. As SBIR/STTR co-lead for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Joe Famiglietti coordinates Goddard’s participation in the agency’s SBIR and STTR programs. Though Famiglietti’s professional path led to NASA, his career began when he joined the military as a junior in high school. He excelled in math and science, and after speaking to a recruiter about the opportunities available through serving, Famiglietti enrolled in the Navy’s nuclear program.
“The focus mentality I gained from the military enabled me to do very well in college, which in turn showed that I had the competence and aptitude for work at Goddard,” he adds. Famiglietti has both a daughter and son-in-law currently serving in the military. Famiglietti says he’s very proud of them, and though the phrase “thank you for your service” has become something of a cliché, he says, he thinks it’s a nice way to show appreciation when it’s said with sincerity. SPO wishes all veterans a happy November – thank you for serving our country!
Once he completed his training, Famiglietti joined the crew of the USS Honolulu, spending months at a time underwater aboard the submarine. Though submarines have a reputation for being cramped, Famiglietti says he isn’t claustrophobic and navigated the vessel’s low ceilings and small bunks just fine. Famiglietti was stationed in Hawaii and traveled to Japan, Guam, the Philippines, and Micronesia during his tour. He decided to leave the military when he returned from his tour so he could spend more time with his family. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from George Mason University and joined a co-op program that allowed him to work at Goddard while earning his degree. Since then, Famiglietti has worked as an instrument developer, payload manager, and technology manager before transitioning to the SBIR/STTR realm. Famiglietti says the discipline he learned in the military came in handy when he went to college.
www.nasa.gov
NP-2020-12-624-GSFC
Photo Credit: NASA/Samantha Kilgore